DURHAM, N.C. -- Former Duke University trustee Roy Bostock and his wife Merilee will give $5 million to the Duke Athletics Department, school officials announced Thursday.

Their gift is in support of Duke Athletics’ “Building Champions” fundraising effort, whose goal is to raise $250 million to support annual needs, upgrade facilities and endow scholarships and programs. “Building Champions” is part of the $3.25 billion university-wide fundraising campaign, Duke Forward, launched in September.

Roy and Merilee Bostock are both 1962 graduates of Duke. Roy Bostock also earned an M.B.A. from Harvard.

“We’re very grateful for this gift, which continues the wonderful tradition of philanthropy that Roy and Merilee Bostock have established at Duke,” said Duke President Richard H. Brodhead. “From the libraries to athletics, their generosity has enriched and elevated the student experience at Duke.”
“Roy and Merilee’s impact on Duke is well documented and, quite frankly, immeasurable,” said Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White. “In particular, Roy’s unqualified dedication to Duke Athletics is exemplified by his commitment to the institution as a student-athlete and, of course, by his extraordinary service and generosity since graduating in 1962. To be sure, both Roy and Merilee are Duke University treasures. We sincerely thank Roy and Merilee for their phenomenal support of Duke Athletics, as well as the entire university.”

The Bostock gift is the third commitment of $5 million or more announced by the Department of Athletics in the past five months. Dr. Steven Scott and his wife, Rebecca Scott, and Duke Forward co-chair David Rubenstein each pledged $10 million gifts to Duke Athletics in October and December, respectively.

For many years, the Bostocks have contributed significantly to their alma mater, both financially and through their volunteer leadership. Roy Bostock is a former member of the university’s board of trustees and is a member of the Duke Forward steering committee. Merilee Bostock is a current member of the library advisory board.

In addition to his two terms on the board of trustees, Roy Bostock was a member of the Fuqua School of Business Board of Visitors, director of Duke University Health System and co-chair of the Presidential Council, among other roles on various committees and boards. He received one of the university’s highest honors -- the Distinguished Alumni Award -- in 2008.

At Duke, the Bostock Library is named for the Bostock family. Dedicated in the fall of 2005, the Bostock Library comprises five floors of services and collections that are configured to create an environment conducive to study, learning and research. The Bostock Library is connected through a gateway to the main Perkins Library building.

Roy Bostock’s ties to Duke Athletics are strong, as he played football and baseball for the Blue Devils. He earned a letter on the 1961 football team that went 7-3, earned the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and was ranked 20th in the final Associated Press national poll. He also lettered for the baseball team in 1960.

In 2008, Bostock chaired the search committee that brought White to campus as its vice president and director of athletics. More recently, Bostock and a group of volunteers and donors have been spearheading the effort to raise money for athletics facilities as part of Duke Forward.